How to Care for a Rabbit's Teeth

Rabbits have teeth that are designed to break up tough, fibrous materials like grass and leaves. Rabbits' teeth grow over the course of their entire life, and if their teeth become damaged, this can lead to numerous health problems, including dental pain and malnutrition. Maintain your rabbit's teeth to keep it in optimal health, and take care of any problems as they arise.

Things You'll Need

Hay

Twigs

Wood blocks

Feed your rabbit copious quantities of hay. Not only is hay highly nutritious for rabbits, it also helps your rabbit wear down its teeth. A pellet-only diet will not wear down down a rabbit's teeth and allows them to grow long and jagged.

Give your rabbits wood on which to chew. While wood blocks are good for the front teeth, they do not help the rabbit wear down its molars. Instead, give your rabbit twigs that have not been sprayed with fertilizer, so that they can wear down all of their teeth.

Take your rabbit to the veterinarian for dental checks between once and twice a year. This allows your veterinarian to perform any routine maintenance that might be done and also to spot any small problems before they become large problems.

Check your rabbit's teeth by puling back the skin of the mouth. The top incisors should overlap the bottom incisors. The teeth should show even wear, with no long or malformed teeth. If you see the bottom teeth overlapping the top teeth or any other strong misalignment, take your rabbit to the veterinarian.

Tips & Warnings

You can clip your rabbit's teeth at home using a pair of rabbit nail clippers and a file to smooth the rough edges. Ask your veterinarian to show you how this is done if you would rather take on this task yourself.